Author: Rebecca Rogers Maher

Book: Rolling in the Deep

tl;dr recommendation: On the whole, this is a sweet and quick HEA that gives you what you want with very little fuss. 3.5 stars!

Book Summary:

Holly Ward is stretched to the breaking point, raising her young son alone and working long hours for minimum wage at a local superstore. Sure, she’s noticed the new guy with the easy grin and warm brown eyes, but she’s learned the hard way that relationships aren’t worth the pain. Still, when he invites her to split a lottery ticket, she figures a little innocent fun couldn’t hurt. The last thing she expects is to score big, which is exactly what happens . . . in more ways than one.

From the moment he meets Holly, Ray Lopez is drawn to her quiet dignity and openhearted beauty. And when they hit the jackpot together, he’s thrilled that the single mom can give her kid a better life. The only problem is the chaos surrounding them: lawyers and reporters swarming, friends and family angling to get their cut. In all the chaos, Ray discovers an oasis of calm and passion in Holly. But with the stakes higher than ever, winning her trust could cost him everything.

Longer Review:

Ok. So from the blurb we know the deal: Holly and Ray go in on a lottery ticket together..and they win – BIG. This is change your entire life money, and it definitely does, but not necessarily in all the ways that they expected.

Holly’s life is about her son: he’s her everything, and she wishes that she do more for him. Holly’s ex is an asshole, but he’s an asshole who married a wealthy and incredibly kind woman. So they do more for her son that Holly could ever wish to do…until now. Of course, winning the lottery won’t change a lot: including her ex’s motivation to hurt her in any way he can.

Ray is just a genuine and sweet guy. He could have easily ran away with the winning ticket, leaving Holly in the lurch, but he’s not like that. The connection he and Holly feel is immediate and intense. They’ve thankfully known each other for two months prior to actually hooking up, or this would have been instalove on STEROIDS. Not that I mind that. The sex is hot and intense and deeper than I expected (ok jeez. It’s also more emotional).

I was actually pretty into this book until the ending made me wonder how we got from here to there. It was just so quick. The writing is easy and the story was enjoyably instalovey and totally made me smile. There was actual character development throughout the book which was why I was so surprised to feel like I was being rushed out the door of a restaurant a few minutes after closing time when I reached the end.

But I LIKED IT. On the whole, this is a sweet and quick HEA that gives you what you want with very little fuss. 3.5 stars!

[I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review]